Here’s How the UK Is Battling Its Avocado-Related Hand Injury Epidemic

Earlier this year, we learned that a certain segment of the world’s population (ahem, gringos) were so bad at cutting avocados they were injuring themselves. In the United States, doctors saw “a number of avocado-related cooking injuries annually – enough to notice.” But across the pond, the situation is a bit more dire. The Times reported that British avocado consumers landed in the hospital so frequently that doctors had started to call it “Avocado Hand” – a phenomenon described as “serious stab and slash injuries that are the result of failed attempts to penetrate the fruit’s hard outer casing with a sharp knife before encountering a resistant inner stone.” And though some suggested adding warning labels to avocados, a British supermarket chain is now offering a new solution: a softer, stoneless avocado, with an edible skin.

According to Slate, Marks and Spencer has started to sell the product, which it calls a “cocktail avocado.” “We’ve had the mini, the giant, ready sliced and we’re now launching the holy grail of avocados—stoneless,” the company told The Guardian. The avocados are being grown in Spain (the country behind the diet avocado) and are “the fruit of an un-pollinated avocado blossom that develops without a seed.” They’ll only be available in December.

Seedless avocados are nothing new. As a matter of fact, in 2005, The Guardian wrote about supermarket chain Sainsbury introducing the product in its stores. But with the delicious food growing in popularity in recent years, they may be more necessary than ever. That doesn’t mean, however, that the internet won’t clown this produce for existing. Check out a few tweets below:

I thought those silly stories were fake. In Mexico you buy avocados by kilogram and I’ve never heard about anybody getting injured. https://t.co/CmR1r6P5RJ

I'm sorry, but if you can't open an avocado safely and slowly, then you don't deserve to eat then nor should be allowed to buy seedless ones. Personally you might be a danger to society if you have difficulties cutting fruits and veggies https://t.co/mhYBXWPjox